William f



(No Model.)

W.l P. BROOKS.

CORSET.

Patented Oct. l; 18951 -ii @il f WWWHHHMHHMHWMWWW;

ANBREW ELRAMAM PMOTO-LITM0-WA5nlMmmm)Cv VILLIAM F. BROOKS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO l. NEWMAN & SONS, OF SAME PLACE.

C o R SET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,326, dated October 1, 1895. Application filed J'uile 26,1893- Serial No. 478.858. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WltLLIAM F. BROOKS, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Corsets; andl do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters ot' reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specication, 'and represent, in-

Figure l, a view in side elevation of onehalt of a corset containing my invention; Fig. 2, a broken view in inside elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a view of the same in vertical section on the line fr of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a View in transverse section on the line y y of Fig. l; Fig. 5, a view in transverse section on the line a z of Fig. 2; Fig. 6, a view in vertical section of a side or' hip section of a corset constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the use of more than one thickness of material for the formation ofthe same; Fig. 7,a view in elevation of a side or hip section of another modified form which my invention may assume; Fig. 8, a view thereof in vertical section.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of corsets adapted to receive a supplemental stay or stiftener, which may be used or not, as desired, the object being to produce a simple and convenient article ofthe character specified, whether made of a single or double thickness of material.

With these ends'in view myinventon consists in a corset having certain details ofcoustruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

As shown in Figs. lto 5, inclusive, the side or hip section of the corset is composed of three transverse sub-sections A, A', and A2, each made of a single thickness of material, the inner edges of the upper and lower sections A and A2 being carried under the outer edges of the middle or intermediate section A', as clearly shown by Figs. l and 2 of the drawings. A bone-strip Bis securely stitched by its extreme edges, as at b o, to the outer faces of the said sub-sections, which together form the side or hip section of the corset. The

particular construction of the bone-strip B is not material-which is to say, it may be made of one or more pieces of fabric and contain one or more bones of any suitable substance. If containing more than one bone, the bones may be separated by stitching; but however it is made, it will be attached by its edges to the outer face of the side section of the corset. When so attached and being secured only by its edges, it will form the outer wall of a pocket C, corresponding to it in length and practically corresponding to it in width, the inner wall of this pocket being formedby that portion of the side or hip section ot the corset which is inclosed between the two lines ot stitches b b, employed to attach the bonestrip to the said side section. These lines of stitches secure the overlapping edges of the sub-sections together, as indicated at h' in the drawings. Now, as the inner edges of theV subsections A and A2 do not come together on the inside ot the corset, but simply lap over the outer edges of theintermediate section A', it will be apparent that the pocket before referred to will be accessible under those portions of the upper and lower subsections which lie between the lines of stitching b b.' In reality two pockets are formed, one between the upper end of the bone-strip and the upper sub-section A and the other between the lower end of the boue-strip andthe lower sub-section A2; but for convenience of description l have chosen to speak ot the whole as one pocket, extending throughout the length of the corset. It will be readily understood that a supplemental stay of suitable form may be inserted into and removed from this pocket at pleasure, and according as it is desired to have the corset stiit or not. This stay may be formed in any desired manner and contain one or more bones. As shown, the supplemental stay D is formed of a single piece of fabric and contains three bones. It is inserted by introducing one of its ends into one portion of the pocket and then bending it and introducing its opposite end into the other portion of the pocket, the operation mentioned being a very simple one. When the stay is in place a portion of it will be exposed between the inner edges of the upper and lower subsections A and A2, said IOO exposed portion of the stay not coming into contact with the inner face of the bone-strip, but being separated therefrom by the intermediate section A', as clearly shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings. It will thus be seen that, although the side or hip section of the corset is of but a single thickness of material, I am enabled to form a pocket in it for the reception of a supplemental stay by attaching the bone-strip in such a manner as to utilize it as one wall of the pocket. As thus utilized, the bone-strip takes the place of an extra thickness of material. I have spoken of only one bone-strip and one continuous pocket, but in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the side section of the corset is provided with two of the bonestrips and two pockets, the number of pockets employed being, of course, immaterial and depending on the character of the corset. Wherever I have spoken of bones it will be understood that I use that term generically to mean real whalebone or any of the modern substitutes therefor.

In the modification shown by Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings the side or hip section of the corset is composed of transverse subsections I, I, and I2, united by narrow transverse strips .I J. The outer edges of the said strips are stitched to the inner edges of the upper and lower sub-sections I and I2, and their inner edges lapped over the outer edges of the intermediate section I', to which, however, they are united only by the rows of stitches 7c k, which are employed for securing the bone-strip R to the outerface of the cornposite section. The pocket L, formed bey tween the inner face of the bone-strip and the outer sub-sections I and I2, is accessible under the inner edges of the narrow strips J and J', as clearly shown by Fig. 8 of the drawings.

Fig. G of the drawings shows in section a side section of a corset made in accordance with Figs. l and 2, but of material of double thickness-such, for instance, as a black corset having a lining of white.

It is obvious that in carrying out my invention still otl er modes of making the corset may be resorted to, and I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I am aware, however, that a double corset, or a corset having its sections composed of two thicknesses of material, has been constructed with an opening in its inner thickness to receive a removable stay in the space formed between the two thicknesses, the outer 0f which has been corded or stiifened by bones or stiffening-strips. I do not, therefore, broadly claim a removable stay in combination with a corset having an opening formed init upon the inside for the insertion and removal of a stay-strip.

I claim*- A corset having a side section composed of three transverse sub-sections of which the up per and lower sub-sections overlap the inner face of the middle subsection, iu combination with a bone strip secured by its edges'to the outer face of all of the said sub-sections, than which it is considerably narrower, and itself forming the outer wall of a pocket, the inner wall of which is formed by those portions of the upper and lower sub-sections covered by the said strip, and the said pocket being accessible at the overlapping inner edges of the said upper and lower sub-sections and over the middle sub-section which lies against the inner face of the bone strip when the removable stay strip is in place iu' the pocket, substantially as described, and whereby the bone strip is made to take the place of an extra thickness of materialin the side section of the corset by being applied to the section so as to itself form the outer wall of the pocket. Y

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

IVILLIAM F. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

Guo. D. SEYMOUR, FRED. C. EARLE. 

